Inside a Lighting Audit: What Professionals at Current, powered by GE, Want You to Know

By now you’ve realized that a lighting upgrade is no small undertaking—and that’s part of why it’s important to select a reliable team to help you get the most out of this major investment. I’d like to offer some insight on how to enhance your lighting upgrade and make the process as smooth as possible, with minimal interruption to your daily operations and output. I’ve been helping facility managers realize the benefits of LED lighting in all manner of environments for many years.

These are somekey things you can do to optimizethe process:

The more we know, the better

Literally and figuratively, lighting touches just about everything in your facility. So in order to obtain the greatest results, Current, powered by GE, works with a variety of information to optimize your new lighting scheme—from floor plans to electric bills and more.

First, if you’re considering a lighting upgrade for more than just one facility, we can deploy our data metrics to tell you where exactly you’ll benefit from the most immediate payback. Perhaps one particular site has higher utility rates than the others; maybe another has more attractive rebate options. We’ll evaluate this data to determine where to strike first.

Next, we need your floor plan. There’s a lot we can discern from a simple blueprint of your facility as it gives us the exact dimensions of the spaces that need to be lit. Much of this process involves making calculations based upon Current, powered by GE, product specs and your unique space—and your floor plan makes this much easier.

We’ll also need to take a look at your 12 most recent monthly electricity bills in order to make an informed prediction on energy savings. The most important figure to calculate is cost per kilowatt hour (kWh), which grants us the most relevant insight into what you stand to save in energy costs.

The on-site audit

There’s really nothing better than taking a look at your facility in person, which is why Current, powered by GE, takes the time to perform on-site audits to get the complete picture. While the on-site audit isn’t absolutely necessary in every case (there is a LOT we can tell from the information we request, and we can sometimes draw up a full recommendation with just that), putting ourselves in the environment allows us to take note of things like current quality of light and other details.

Importantly, we’ll be able to evaluate how your current lighting is wired in—most common setups in industrial facilities are either permanent mounts or “cord and plug.” The former means your new lighting will need to be installed in roughly the same locations as existing lighting, while the latter grants more flexibility to optimize new lighting design by placing fixtures in advantageous spots throughout the building.

These on-site audits are performed discreetly, mindful of any potential interruptions to your everyday operations. A key part of this is having access to your floor plan and electric bills, as mentioned, to make the on-site audit smooth and painless. You’ll convene with a Current, powered by GE, audit team member before and after the audit is complete to discuss next steps, and you’ll receive a Lighting Solution Proposal shortly thereafter.

This will include:

Optimized Lighting Layout

Product Bill of Material

ROI Calculation

Proposed Financial Package

Next Steps to Construction

Which brings us to the next consideration …

Know the roles

From the beginning, Current, powered by GE, has been dedicated to being a premium product supplier—and that means we can’t necessarily do everything. Namely—we’re a product supplier, not a contractor or distributor. And it’s beneficial to know up front that you’ll need to turn to reliable vendors to install your LED lighting systems after an audit and purchase with Current, powered by GE.

Luckily, we’ve already done some of this work for you: Through its relationships with contractors across the country, Current, powered by GE, is able to offer an extensive, vetted list of contractors and distributors to help your lighting project come to life more simply. Through this process, we can offer an actionable quote to work with a contractor and distributor, offering you a full turnkey service.

Do you have a trusted local contractor you’ve worked with in the past? That can work just as well. It is important that the role of Current, powered by GE, is clear throughout the entire process.